H2672 H2672
To hew, cut, quarry stone; of stonecutters as artisans, hewn cisterns and rock, figurative cleaving of lightning.
Chatsab is the Hebrew Bible's primary verb for the hard, physical labor of cutting into rock — quarrying stone, carving cisterns, hewing tombs. It belongs to the world of Bronze and Iron Age construction, and its occurrences read like an archaeological survey of ancient Israelite infrastructure. Deuteronomy 6:11 celebrates the hewn cisterns the Israelites inherited in Canaan; Isaiah 22:16 condemns the official who carved himself a rock-cut tomb; 1 Chronicles 22:2 records David assembling stonecutters for the temple. Spanish splits illuminatingly between cavar ('to dig'), labrar ('to work stone'), and canteros ('stonecutters'), tracing the verb's movement from action to agent noun. The participial 'stonecutter' sense is especially well-attested in the temple-building narratives. At the edges of the range, the verb stretches to divine violence — Rahab 'shattered' in Isaiah 51:9 — and natural spectacle — lightning 'cleaving' in Psalm 29:7.
5. to flash forth, cleave — To flash forth, cleave the sky — a single poetic occurrence in Psalm 29:7, where the voice of the LORD 'cleaves flames of fire,' describing lightning that splits the heavens. Spanish que-corta ('that cuts') and German flashes-hervor ('flashes forth') both struggle to capture this meteorological extension. The image transfers the stone-splitting force of the quarryman to Yahweh's thunderbolt — a brilliant metaphorical leap that connects earthly labor to cosmic power. 1×
AR["يَقْدَحُ"]·ben["চূর্ণ-করে"]·DE["flashes-hervor"]·EN["flashes-forth"]·FR["tailler"]·heb["חוצב"]·HI["चीरती-है"]·IT["taglio'"]·jav["mecahaken"]·KO["쪼개도다"]·PT["corta"]·RU["высекающий"]·ES["que-corta"]·SW["inachonga"]·TR["yaran"]·urd["چیرتی-ہے"]
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. to hew, cut, dig into rock — To hew, cut, or dig into rock — the core Qal active sense at 11 occurrences, covering the physical act of quarrying stone, cutting cisterns, carving wine-vats, and excavating tombs from bedrock. Isaiah 5:2 uses it for hewing out a wine-vat; Deuteronomy 8:9 for mining copper from hills; 2 Chronicles 26:10 for Uzziah's cisterns in the wilderness. Spanish cavaste ('you dug') and el-que-labra ('the one who works stone') both map the action of tool against rock. French tailler ('to cut, carve') captures the precision element — this is skilled labor, not random breaking. 11×
AR["الْقَاطِعِ","تَنْحَتُ","تَنْحَتْهَا","لِـ-يَحْفُرُوا","لِيَنْحَتُوا","نَاحِتَ","نَحَتَ","نَحَتَتْ","نَحَتَّ","نَحَتُ","وَ-حَفَرَ"]·ben["-যে-কাটে","ও-খনন-করলেন","কাটতে","কাটা-হয়েছে","কাটাকারী","কাটেছ","কাটেছি","কেটেছিল","খনন-করতে","তুমি-খনন-করবে","তুমি-খোদাই-করেছ"]·DE["[החצב]","[ויחצב]","[חצב]","[חצבה]","[חצבי]","[חצבת]","[חצבתי]","[לחצב]","[לחצוב]","du-hewed","du-soll-dig"]·EN["I-hewed","and-hewed","he-hewed","hewing-on","she-has-hewn","the-one-chopping","to-cut","to-hew","you-have-hewn","you-hewed","you-shall-dig"]·FR["et-tailler","tailler","tu-devra-dig","tu-hewed","חצבה"]·heb["ה-חוצב","ו-יחצב","חוצבי","חצב","חצבה","חצבת","חצבתי","ל-חצוב","לחצוב","תחצוב"]·HI["और-खोदा","काटने-को","काटने-वाले","काटा","काटे-हैं-उसने","खोदने-के-लिए","खोदने-वाले","खोदा","खोदा-तूने","खोदी-तूने","खोदेगा"]·ID["-yang-memotong","Aku-memahat","dan-menggali","dia-memahat","engkau-gali","ia-pahat","kamu-memahat","kamu-menggali","untuk-memahat","untuk-menggali","yang-memahat"]·IT["[חצבתי]","e-tagliare","ella-has-hewn","tagliare","tu-dovra-dig","tu-hewed"]·jav["Kawula-tatah","ingkang-ngatah","ingkang-ngethèk","kangge-ngedhuki","kanggé-nganam","lan-ngeduk","ngukir","panjenengan-mahat","panjenengan-melik","panjenengan-sampun-ngatah","piyambakipun-ngluk"]·KO["그리고-판다","끝는-자-에게","다듬었노라","다듬었다","캐리라","캠기-위해","파냈도다","파냈으니","파는-자여","파려고","팠다-너가"]·PT["cavando-no-alto","cavarás","cavaste","cavou","cortei","e-cavou","lavrou","o-que-corta","para-cavarem","para-cortar"]·RU["будешь-высекать","высек","высек-ты","высекал","высекающий","высекла","вытёсывать","и-высек","рубящим","сек-ты","чтобы-вырубать"]·ES["cavaste","el-que-corta","el-que-labra","labraste","labró","para-cavar","para-cortar","sacarás","tallé","talló","y-cavó"]·SW["alichonga","amechonga","anayeikata","kuchimba","kuchonga","na-akachimba","nimewachonga","ulichimba","umechonga","unayechonga","utachimba"]·TR["kazacaksın","kazan","kazdin","kazmak-için","kesenin","oydu","peygamberlerle","ve-kazıdı","yontmak-için","yonttu"]·urd["اور-کھودے","تراشنے-والا","تراشنے-کے-لیے","تراشے-ہیں","تو-نے-تراشی-ہے","تو-نے-کھودے","کاٹا","کاٹنے-والے","کاٹو-گے","کھودنے-کو"]
2. stonecutter, hewer of stone — Stonecutter, hewer of stone — 8 occurrences using the active participle as an occupational designation. These are the professional artisans who quarried and dressed building stone, especially prominent in the temple construction narratives: 1 Kings 5:15 numbers Solomon's stonecutters; 1 Chronicles 22:2,15 records David setting stonecutters to prepare dressed stones. Spanish canteros and cortadores both identify the trade explicitly. The plural forms (chotsevim, chotsvei) appear in the context of organized labor gangs — a window into ancient construction economics. 8×
AR["قَاطِعٍ","لِلنَّحَّاتِينَ","نَحَاتِينَ","نَحَّاتٍ","نَحَّاتُونَ","نَحَّاتِينَ","وَلِنَحَّاتِي"]·ben["-পাথরকাটুয়াদেরকে","এবং-পাথর-কাটারদের","পাথর-কাটা","পাথর-কাটার","পাথর-কাটিয়েদের"]·DE["[חצב]","[חצבים]","[לחצבים]","cutters","und-zu-hewers-von"]·EN["and-to-hewers-of","cutters","stonecutters","to-the-stonecutters"]·FR["cutters","et-à-hewers-de","tailler"]·heb["ו-ל-חוצבי","חוצב","חצב","חצבים","ל-ה-חצבים"]·HI["और-लखोत्सवे","काटनेवाले","तराशने-वाले","पत्थर-काटनेवाले","राजों-को"]·ID["dan-kepada-tukang-tukang-pahat","kepada-para-tukang-batu","tukang-batu","tukang-pahat","tukang-tukang-pahat"]·IT["cutters","e-a-hewers-di","tagliare"]·jav["dhateng-para-tukang-tatah","lan-dhateng-para-tukang-pahat","para-tukang-batu","tukang-nganam","tukang-pacul","tukang-tatah"]·KO["그리고-돌-캠는-자들에게","내는-자가","돌-깎는-자","돌-잘라내는-자들을","돌-캠는-자들","에게-그-석공들"]·PT["aos-cortadores-de-pedra","cortadores","cortadores-de-pedra","e-para-os-cortadores-de"]·RU["высекающих","и-тесальщикам","каменотёсам","каменотёсов","каменотёсы"]·ES["a-los-canteros","canteros","cortadores","y-a-cortadores-de"]·SW["kwa-wachongaji-mawe","na-kwa-wachongaji-wa","wachonga-mawe","wachongaji","wachongaji-mawe"]·TR["tascilara","taş-kesen","taş-kesiciler","taşçılar","taşçıları","ve-taşçılara"]·urd["اور-پتھر-تراشنے-والوں","تراشنے-والے","سنگتراش","لے-ال-پتھر-تراشوں","پتھر-تراش"]
3. to be hewn or cut out — To be hewn, to have been cut out — 4 occurrences using passive forms (Qal passive participle, Niphal, Pual) describing rock or material that has already been worked. Deuteronomy 6:11 and Nehemiah 9:25 celebrate 'hewn cisterns' as part of Canaan's inherited bounty. Isaiah 51:1 uses it memorably in metaphor: 'Look to the rock from which you were hewn' — Israel's origins traced back to Abraham and Sarah as quarry-stone. Job 19:24 wishes his words were 'engraved' permanently in rock, using this same passive form. Spanish fuisteis-cortados ('you were cut') captures the metaphorical force. 4×
AR["تُنْحَتُ","مَحْفُورَةً","مَنْحُوتَةً","نُحِتُّمْ"]·ben["-যা-থেকে-তোমরা-কাটা-হয়েছিলে","খোদাই","খোদাই-করা","খোদাই-হোক"]·DE["[חצבתם]","[חצובים]","[יחצבון]","hewn"]·EN["be-engraved","hewn","you-were-hewn"]·FR["hewn","tailler","יחצבון"]·heb["חוצבתם","חצובים","יחצבון"]·HI["खुदे-हुए","खोदी-हुई","जिससे-तुम-काटे-गए","वे-खोदे-जाएं"]·ID["dari-mana-kamu-dipahat","dipahat","yang-digali"]·IT["essere-engraved","hewn","tagliare"]·jav["dipunpahat","ingkang-kapahat","ingkang-panjenengan-kapahat"]·KO["너희가-떠내어진","새겨지길","파낸","판"]·PT["cavadas","fossem-esculpidas","fostes-cortados"]·RU["высекутся","высеченные","из-которой-высечены-вы"]·ES["cavadas","fueran-esculpidas!","fuisteis-cortados"]·SW["mlichimbwa","vilivyochimbwa","vilivyochongwa","yachongwe"]·TR["oyulmuş","oyulurlar","yontulduguunuz"]·urd["تراشی جاتیں","تم-تراشے-گئے-جس-سے","کھدے-ہوئے","کھودے-ہوئے"]
4. to shatter, cut to pieces — To shatter, cut to pieces — a single Hiphil occurrence in Isaiah 51:9, where the arm of the LORD is invoked as the one who 'cut Rahab to pieces' (the primeval chaos-monster). Spanish despedazó ('tore apart') correctly escalates beyond mere cutting to violent destruction. This causative intensification — from careful quarrying to mythic dismemberment — shows the verb's capacity for divine-warrior imagery, transforming construction vocabulary into combat language. 1×
AR["الْمُحَطِّمَةَ"]·ben["-যে-ছিন্নভিন্ন-করেছিলে"]·DE["[המחצבת]"]·EN["the-one-cutting"]·FR["tailler"]·heb["ה-מחצבת"]·HI["काटने-वाली"]·ID["yang-memotong-motong"]·IT["tagliare"]·jav["ingkang-nyocoki"]·KO["쫐개는-자이니"]·PT["a-que-despedaçou"]·RU["рассекающая"]·ES["la-que-despedazó"]·SW["uliyemkata"]·TR["parcalayan-"]·urd["ٹکڑے-ٹکڑے-کرنے-والی"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [חָצַב], חָצֵב vb. hew, hew out, cleave (NH id., Aramaic חֲצַב; SI4.6 pt. pl. החצבם; cf. Ph. מחצב = Heb. id.)— Qal Pf. חָצֵב Is 5:2; חָֽצְבָה Pr 9:1; חָצַבְתִּי Ho 6:5, etc.; Impf. וַיַּחְצֹב 2 Ch 26:10; 2 ms. תַּחְצֹב Dt 8:9; Inf. cstr. לַחְצֹב Je 2:13; לַחְצוֹב 1 Ch 22:2; Pt. act. חֹצֵב Is 10:15 + 4 times; cstr. חֹצְבִי Is 22:16; חֹצְבִים 1 Ch 22:2 + 3 times; חֹצְבֵי 2 K 12:13; pass.…